Once Upon a Time

There is a volunteer at Southside Children’s who reminds us of the Story of the Elves and the Shoemaker. She comes in three days a week; works a few hours shelving the books, and leaves, often without talking with Library Staff or Patrons, but there is no doubt she’s been there and left her gift of shelving all our library books. We hope that she knows how much we appreciate her.

There is also our army of volunteers to help us with Children’s Programs. These angels arrive early every Wednesday for Preschool Story Time and get busy without having to be told what to do. They help set up our craft tables. They greet and sign in the children. They assist with the books, puppets, and flannel board stories. They count the participants. They help kids put together their crafts. And then they clean up! They do the work of ten muscle men! And they seem to remember all the kids’ names!

The same angels also help us with other programs. We do programs that involve games, crafts, and refreshments all at the same time. From behind the scenes, as I’m sure you could imagine, things do get messy. But you should see this team clean up! They spring into action like a well-oiled machine, each part contributing to the whole, and Whiz! Bang! The job is done like magic!

Why do they do it? They love the kids. And they say they want to give back for all the times others have helped them. For our part, we are truly grateful for the generous gifts of kindness, help and support from all our volunteers. We really don’t know what we would do without them.

The End

Picture by TT and Story by TT and LW @ Southside

Heart of the Library Award

The Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library unveiled a new award at their Annual Meeting on February 8. The Heart of the Library award recognizes volunteers who have gone the extra mile in support of the Friends and the Santa Fe Public Library.

The Friends Co-President, Susanna Orzech, presented the first annual award to Pilar Faulkner, Lisa Bemis and Andrea Gross, citing their leadership in serving as the Friends’ Legislative Committee since 2002. Orzech pointed out that, “This team of volunteers raised Legislative funds for the new Southside Branch Library. Without their dedication, no branch would have been constructed.” Opening in 2007, the new Southside Branch of the Santa Fe Public Library serves not only the southwest quadrant, but the entire City and County.

The Legislative Committee continued its successful efforts in raising funds for the La Farge Branch of the Santa Fe Public Library in 2006 and 2007.

Orzech noted, “The commitment and dedication of this team of volunteers has made a difference in the lives of everyone in Santa Fe.”

Journeyman Documentary

Santa Fe Premiere
of
Journeyman: a Documentary

Warehouse 21 Blackbox Theater
1614 Paseo de Peralta
Thursday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m
$8 suggested donation

Journeyman explores what male adolescents need, how they struggle, and especially their need for guidance from older men. Leaving these needs unfulfilled accounts for overcrowded prisons, increasing gang violence, a decline in school performance among boys, and drug and alcohol abuse. Created by filmmakers Charlie Borden and Kevin Obsatz, Journeyman explores hidden experiences of Rites of Passage, mentoring, and male culture in America.

The proceeds from the suggested donation will go to support the first Rites of Passage Adventure Weekend in New Mexico for 18 teenage New Mexico boys, which is being organized by the nonprofit Boys to Men New Mexico. Following the documentary, there will be a panel discussion with Paul Golding, Editor of Santa Fe Boys, Stefan Hermann, Executive Director of Boys to Men Central California Coast, and other experts on the status of Boys in today’s society and the impact of rites of passage and mentoring.

For additional information on Journeyman or Boys to Men New Mexico, please contact David River at (505) 216-9752 or contact@btmnm.org.

Batallón de San Patricio

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Instead of green beer and pinching and Riverdance, I'd like to tell you all about the Batallón de San Patricio, or St. Patrick's Batallion. In the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, some US soldiers were disgruntled about all sorts of things: low pay, poor living conditions, religious and ethnic discrimination, harsh army discipline. Other soldiers didn't see the reason for fighting against the people on the other side, and were disturbed by army atrocities.

The San Patricio Battalion had its humble beginnings with a couple of soldiers swimming across the Rio Grande to Mexico on March 30, 1846. Desertions from the US Army became more common over the next few nights. While the majority of the swimmers were Irish Catholics, they also included African-American slaves of the US officers, Native Americans, German and Polish immigrants, and other Catholic or foreign-born soldiers. Once on the side of Mexico, they formed the Saint Patrick's Batallion, also known as Los Colorados for all the redheads and sunburns in the company. They were commanded by John Riley, who had been a lieutenant on the American side.

From a US perspective, the San Patricios were turncoats. About half of the batallion was executed by the US after the war was over. On the Mexican side, however, the valor of the Irish soldiers has created a long-lasting bond between the two cultures. So if you've felt strange celebrating St. Patrick's Day in New Mexico, just keep in mind that you're continuing a long and enduring friendship.

Photo of San Patricio plaque courtesy of Mexico Trucker. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.

The Creative Ice Age Brain

Thursday, March 26
7:00-8:30 pm
Main Library Community Room

The Creative Ice Age Brain: Cave Art in the Light of Neuroscience
Book discussion by Barbara Olins Alpert

A haunting mystery surrounds the magnificent Ice Age art that is found mainly in the caves of Western Europe. In this substantial new study, scholar Barbara Alpert approaches this art using information from psychology and discoveries in neuroscience. Techniques such as computerized tomography (CT) scans and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have demonstrated an enormous amount about the working of the brain. By examining the oldest-known human-made images in the light of this new information, Alpert reveals many of the impulses that underlie their creation. In a detailed comparison of Ice Age images with similar examples found throughout art history, Alpert argues that the approach of these earliest artists was not unique, but forms part of a continuum linking the distant past with the present. She shows how the art is based on a visual language found worldwide--one that appears to be universal for our species.

This program is free and open to the public.

Books and Babies Spring Session

The Books and Babies program has scheduled its Spring Session.
This is for babies 6-24 months old and their caregivers.

Thursdays at the Southside Library
April 2 - May 7
1 to 1:30 p.m.

Wednesdays at La Farge Library
April 1 - May 6
10:30 to 11:00 am

Your child will enjoy books, songs, and finger games from the comfort of your lap.

This is a free program sponsored by a grant from the Brindle Foundation.

To register and for more information call
Southside Children's, 955-2828
La Farge Children's, 955-4863

99 Bottles of Root Beer on the Wall

Remember those long hours in a car, singing every song you thought you knew the words to? Now you can have a quiet drive listening to a good book. Check out our audio CDs and cassettes in all the Children's and Adult Media departments. For the little ones, there are books with cassettes for reading along and for some ideas of good YA titles, see our special exhibit upstairs at Main.

Bert's Burger Bowl

Several months ago, I watched the underground classic road movie: Two-Lane Blacktop. In addition to a neat scene on the Santa Fe Plaza, and drag-racing on an empty Airport Road, the local landmark Bert's Burger Bowl was featured.

This favorite fast-food restaurant has also made it into the Congressional Record. On Thursday, September 9, 2004, then-Representative Tom Udall made a speech in the House to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bert's. Citing the restaurant's unique motto of "Since 1954: One Location Worldwide", it is "one of the last independently owned drive-in restaurants". Udall lists highlights from their menu and celebrates their claim to fame: the invention of the green-chile cheeseburger.

Bert's will be on the Food Network on Monday, March 16 at 8:00 pm, with a reprise at 10:00 pm on March 20. Grab some burgers and fries and settle down to watch the show!

Thanks to RS for the research!

ARRA: and the links just keep on coming

We've set up a link on our home page to a collection of federal, state, and independent sites about different aspects of the Stimulus package, aka ARRA, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. We're adding several new sites a week as we get the information, so be sure to check back often. If you come across a website that you think we should add, send it on to library@santafenm.gov with "ARRA Website" in the subject field.

The most recent site we've added is from the State of New Mexico, and it even has an option to submit a proposal for financing. Thanks to the SF Reporter blog SFReeper for the tip!

Open Call to Monoprinting Artists

The Community Gallery announces an open call to monoprinting artists in preparation for the upcoming exhibit: "THE MONOPRINT, Past and Present". All monoprints must be received in the Community Gallery (201 W. Marcy St.) NO LATER THAN 5 p.m., Saturday, April 4 2009. Community Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

All monoprint artists are requested to submit a SINGLE piece for consideration in the second exhibit celebrating the Monothon. All monoprints must not exceed 22" x 30" and should be delivered with rigid backing and wrapped in plastic for their protection. Any work received not meeting those parameters will not be considered for exhibition.

All submissions will be juried by an advisory committee and those chosen will be exhibited for sale in the Community Gallery during the dates of the exhibition. Those not chosen will be contacted to pick up their work. All work will be for sale and artists will receive 60% of all realized sales.

Contact Rod Lambert, Community Gallery Manager
Santa Fe Community Convention Center
201 W. Marcy (at the intersection of Marcy and Sheridan)
505.955.6705, rdlambert@santafenm.gov

Exhibition Schedule:

March 20 – April 24
Image and Process: A Historical Perspective of the College of Santa Fe Monothons, featuring the work of over 50 juried monoprints from the College of Santa Fe’s Monothon archive. Preview the exhibit from March 20 through March 26. Grand opening celebration and auction Friday, March 27, 5-7 p.m. in the Community Gallery.

April 27 – May 22
What Seeds Have Borne: Current Monoprints from Local Artists, a juried exhibition of new works, featuring the work of juried monoprints from artists and printers in New Mexico who are maintaining the tradition of the Monothon. Exhibition runs April 24th through May 22nd.

Did you plant your peas yet?

I put mine in March 9th, and I had to squat in a morning snowstorm to do it! (I’ll let you know how the harvest comes out.) Most of the nurseries and garden centers in Santa Fe will give the traditional date of March 17, Saint Patrick’s Day, for planting your peas. However, my friend Dahlia, who is a professional Organic Gardener said as early as March 10 is ok, especially in a spring as warm as this one. Peas like the cool and will not suffer from a frost. In my family we can never have enough peas, fresh from the garden. In fact, it is very rare that I can even get any inside to cook because most get eaten by the person standing at the fence picking. I strategically planted a big section right next to the fence in the backyard where my teenage son parks his bike. Clever, eh?

Unless someone’s been gardening a while on your property, soil amendments, like lots of compost, are a necessity. If you have had peas in that bed before, you can soak your seeds at least 12 hours and plant directly, but if it’s a new bed you should use innoculant, which helps peas and beans fix nitrogen in the soil. I drove all over town and finally found it at Agua Fria Nursery @ 1409 Agua Fria St. (sadly, no website).

Wait a week or two to put out your lettuce, spinach and beet and chard seeds. They can go near the peas, in the coolest spot in your garden. Remember the place where the snow lasted the longest? And the same day will be good for starting your cole transplants inside, 8 weeks before planting out. If you are in a big hurry for fresh local produce like I am, prep those beds, turn that compost, and hit the Farmer’s Market on Saturday from 9-1. Some of those lucky hardworking people have greenhouses!

Submitted by LW @ Southside
Photos by Isaac Wren

Sounds of the Red-winged Blackbird

A homesick New Mexican who's endured one too many Michigan winters is happy to report that Spring is finally in the air up north. In addition to being able to go for a stroll without worrying about frostbitten toes, she's enjoying a sound that is all too rare in winter: bird songs. While I've also noticed the increase of bird calls as we've had our own early spring, I haven't been as observant as she in distinguishing between one bird and another.

To her, the song of the red-winged blackbird is the herald of spring. Fortunately, my friend sent on a great website so we can hear what she's hearing 1,500 miles away. In order to find out which birds we might be hearing in the Santa Fe area, there's the New Mexico Birds site as well as several books on identification.

Unfortunately, even with audio clips and full-color photos, some of us are just plain bad at identification, but still relish the music of early spring. If anyone has some hints about what to look or listen for, please let us know!

The Ballad of Cookie and Coco

With all the foreclosures around the country, a recurrent topic in the media is homeless or abandoned pets. So when a dog-loving dog-having friend received an e-mail about two older dogs, Cookie and Coco, that needed a home quickly because their house was in foreclosure, she naturally forwarded it to everyone she knew. And everyone she knew forwarded it to everyone they knew, but with her contact information from work still in the e-mail. (Disclosure: I forwarded the e-mail to two of my colleagues, and they may have forwarded the e-mail widely.)

Somehow, in all the cutting and pasting and forwarding, it was assumed that she was the contact information for the needy dogs:

"Almost immediately, I got several emails asking if I knew who the owners were and how to contact them. . . But then the calls and emails started increasing. By the weekend, my voicemail box was filling up and I was being inundated with emails. The next week when I came into work, I was getting a call every 5 or 10 minutes regarding the dogs. It became apparent that the email had spread beyond New Mexico and I was getting calls from people in Texas, Arizona, even Idaho. . . My information was being posted on websites and newsletters and humane societies . . . and animal rescues all over the west began to chime in."

Local radio stations were airing announcements about the dogs that included her phone number. Fliers have popped up around town with the same information. The IT department at her work had to change her phone number, set up a special message about the dogs for the old number, and develop a filter for her e-mail so that any queries about the pups would go right to her junk folder.

As it turned out, the dogs are from California, and yes, they have found a home. However, it seems that my friend is not alone in having been inundated by requests for more information. While it's wonderful that so many thousands of people have Cookie's and Coco's best interests at heart, the ease of e-mail forwarding might prevent some good Samaritans from responding to similar pleas in the future.

Daylight Savings Reminder

Daylight Saving Time will begin this Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 am. If you're not sure which way the clock goes, remember the phrase:
Spring Forward, Fall Back.

That's right, this Sunday we will all "lose" an hour. So you might want to set your clocks one hour ahead before you go to sleep on Saturday night. Otherwise, at 2:00 am Sunday morning, set your clock to 3:00 am, and you're all set!

Clipart from Clipartheaven.com

2009 Poster Competition

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission announces a call for entries for the 2009 City Different Poster Competition. Santa Fe artists are invited to submit a two-dimensional work of art suitable to be featured as the City’s annual poster. All entries will be judged on artistic quality and their ability to effectively represent market and promote Santa Fe as a creative city. The winning artist will receive $1,000 and 250 posters. The City poster is a marketing tool for the City and the winning artist.

Entry forms can be picked up at 125 Lincoln Avenue, Suite 100, or downloaded from the Commission's website. The deadline for receipt of entry forms is Monday, April 13, 2009. Artworks must be delivered to City Council Chambers, 200 Lincoln Avenue, between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Friday, April 17, 2009 for the judging. Participating artists are invited to have their artworks exhibited in City Hall from April 17 – May 29.

For more information, or to request an entry form, contact the Arts Commission at (505) 955-6707.

Photo: "If Clouds Could Dance" by Thea Witt was selected as the 2008-2009 poster.

The City of Santa Fe Arts Commission (SFAC), an agency within the municipal government of the City of Santa Fe, provides leadership by and for City government in supporting arts and cultural affairs. The SFAC also recommends programs and policies that develop, sustain and promote artistic excellence in the community. For more information contact the SFAC at 505-955-6707, email artscommission@santafenm.gov, or by fax 505-955-6671.

Who We Are

For a group of folks who have the world at their fingertips, library workers seem to be inordinately concerned with how the rest of the world sees them. There are websites and conferences and Facebook groups all about libraries and the Librarian Image. When we finally made it to Action Figure status, library workers were torn between those who felt we'd arrived, and those who thought that the incredible "shushing" action made it a throwback to outmoded stereotypes.

Fortunately there is lighter fare that library workers and library-lovers can indulge in. A favorite is the Unshelved comic strip. At times eerily replicating real-life workplace situations, it covers the trials and tribulations of Libraryland with humor. And more humor. There's also the Rex Libris graphic novel, featuring a librarian in an adventurer's role. Librarians are also popular characters in both children's and regular fiction. And don't forget librarians in movies. Get a bowl of popcorn and put your hair in a bun, and films like Desk Set and Party Girl can make you forget that your spice rack isn't in alphabetical order.

In the meantime, enjoy a sample from the Unshelved strip, and an informative film about librarians from 1947. Interestingly, the film is rather up-to-date, albeit computer-free.

Special Sale

March 14 - One Day Only
Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm

Main Library
145 Washington Ave.

No Members-Only Hours
Open to the Public
Specials Only

Sponsored by the Friends of the Santa Fe Public Library.

College of Santa Fe

As an alum and former employee of the College of Santa Fe, my heart is breaking over the tragedy of the College closing its doors this coming May. Of all the educational institutions I have been blessed (and not so blessed) to attend, CSF is the one closest to my heart for a variety of reasons too numerous to list here.

There is a glimmer of hope for a new incarnation of CSF, however. House Bill 577 is making its way through the Legislature right now. This Bill proposes a state takeover of the College, enabling it to survive, albeit in a very changed manner. As of today, the bill has passed the House and will be considered by the State Senate this week. If you are interested in the outcome of this Bill, please contact your Senators now and express your opinion.

CSF is a major contributor to Santa Fe, providing not only numerous jobs for faculty and staff but a well-rounded four year higher education with a variety of subjects for majoring (the film program is especially noteworthy). Neither St. John’s nor the Community College, Santa Fe’s other institutions of higher learning, offers this particular opportunity. The more education our citizens obtain, the better off we shall all be, and the more prosperous as a community.

Here is the Legislature’s website: http://www.nmlegis.gov/lcs/. And CSF’s webpage for advocating on their behalf: http://www.csf.edu/advocate.

I can’t pretend to know what changes would be in store for the College if House Bill 577 is passed, or if it will in any way resemble the institution it has been till now. All I know is, the College of Santa Fe is a valuable resource for Santa Fe and its people, and it would be a shame I cannot even fathom to let it cease to exist.

by AA @ Main

March Library Exhibits

Main Library
The Art Quilt
by Art Quilters of Santa Fe
members of the
Northern New Mexico Quilt Guild

Southside Library
Ceremonial and Medicine Wheel Masks
Artwork of the First Nations
by David Janson

For more information, check our Art page.

For upcoming events, check our Calendar and Children's pages.

Special City of Santa Fe Election

March 10, 2009
Special Municipal Election

The City of Santa Fe will be having a special election on March 10.
Poll hours are 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The following question shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the City of Santa Fe at the special municipal election:

Shall the City of Santa Fe impose on purchasers an excise tax on the use by purchasers of transfer services to effectuate and facilitate the transfer of certain real property in the amount of one percent (1%) of the portion of the purchase price in excess of $750,000 to be used exclusively for affordable workforce housing?

For information and voting locations, check out the city's website, or call the City Clerk's Office at (505) 955-6520 or (505)955-6521.